Brantley Gilbert wrapped up his promotional mini-tour and motorcycle ride across the south with an emotional visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day.

The 'Bottoms Up' singer has been out promoting his new album 'Just As I Am' and raising funds for the military charity, Folds of Honor. The week-long tour ended at Arlington, where he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as well as on the grave of fallen Air Force Captain, Dennis Michael White. As expected, the visit was a powerful one for Gilbert.

"It makes you realize what kind of sacrifices this country has endured so that we can do the things we enjoy doing," Gilbert says. "I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't be able to saddle up on a motorcycle whenever I wanted to if it weren't for every war we've been in, and those who have sacrificed."

The 'Just As I Am' motorcycle tour kicked off on May 21 in Athens, Ga. and hit seven more cities throughout Georgia and North and South Carolina before landing in Arlington. As he walked the grounds at the cemetery, Gilbert says he was struck by the magnitude of so much sacrifice and that his partnership with Folds of Honor has given him some powerful perspective of how big the world truly is.

"This record is a big thing in my life. I'm very excited about it, and we worked a long time on it, but tying something like Folds of Honor in with it makes you realize how small something like that is too," says the award-winning singer. "Being able to show some light on these heroes is irreplaceable. I'm just proud to be a part of it."

Gilbert has a busy season ahead promoting 'Just As I Am' and performing at the second-annual Taste of Country Music Festival from June 13-15.

Brantley Gilbert
Big Machine Label Group
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